


Children Together

by grlnamedlucifer



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic, canon child abuse, childhood crush, innocent little girl crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 16:28:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/750576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grlnamedlucifer/pseuds/grlnamedlucifer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the kink meme prompt: "fluffy childish cosette/eponine where they had cute little girl crushes on each other and eponine sneaks cosette extra food and sometimes they have cute little-kid kisses and hold hands"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Children Together

Éponine is a good girl.

Éponine knows that she is a good girl, because her Papa and Maman tell her so. She knows that she is a good girl, because only good little girls get dolls and pretty dresses. And she knows that she is a good girl, because when her Maman tells her to eat up and not let Cosette steal any of her meal, which is _far_ too good for a dirty little thing like her, Éponine nods and smiles and waits until Maman has gone back to the kitchen to hide a bit away in her pocket.

Because Éponine has watched her Papa and Maman, so she knows it doesn't matter what you say or what you do. What is important is that good girls don't get _caught_.

The food she saves will likely be cold by the time she manages to get it to Cosette, but even then it will surely be better than the scraps the girl gets otherwise. It doesn't cross her mind to question why Cosette doesn't get to eat the same as Éponine, but she does know that the other girl looks prettier when she's eaten enough. And Éponine likes pretty things, so it's only sense to help keep the girl that way.

The surprised smile Cosette gives her every time Éponine brings her something makes her even prettier.

~*~

Éponine doesn't always act like she likes her, not in front of other people anyway, but Cosette doesn't mind. Madame and Monsieur don't act like _they_ like each other very much when they're in front of people either, but Cosette sees things she probably shouldn't so she knows they're very different by themselves.

Besides. Cosette likes Éponine better when they're not in front of people, too.

Away from other people, Éponine gives her food she's managed to sneak away. Sometimes, when Cosette has to fetch water or deliver things for Madame, Éponine will walk with her. Sometimes, she'll grab Cosette's hand and pretend nothing of it, but Cosette will smile at her and swing their hands between them as they walk. Sometimes, when they know Madame and Monsieur are particularly busy and won't notice they're gone, Éponine will even let Cosette come to her room and play with her dolls.

On days when that happens, Cosette's smile is so big it makes her face hurt.

~*~

It's late when Maman finally sends Éponine up to bed. It's past when any new customers will come in, long past when the ones that are already there have anything left to steal. Maman will turn in soon as well, so she can be awake in the morning, but Papa will be drinking for a while yet with his friends, the ones who never quite seem to leave the inn.

So Éponine waits.

Eventually, the noise downstairs dies down. Éponine slips quietly from her room and tiptoes down the stairs, past the men passed out on the floor, and into the kitchen. In the corner of the room, just like Éponine thought she'd be, Cosette is curled into a ball, asleep but shivering.

Quietly, Éponine unfolds the blanket she'd carried down with her. It's too small for her now, so she doesn't really mind having Cosette use it for the night. Hopefully Cosette will be smart enough to hide it before Maman sees it in the morning and thinks she's taken it, but Éponine can't help that. Instead, she focuses on tucking the blanket around the girl, making sure as much of her as possible is covered. Maybe tomorrow she'll complain to Maman that she needs a new blanket. Then maybe she can get away with passing on this “useless” one.

Her task done, Éponine sneaks back out of the kitchen and up the stairs, already dreaming of her lovely warm bed.

~*~

Cosette loves Spring. Spring is when it's not so frightfully cold that the water in the well is often frozen and her bare feet hurt with the cold as she walks through the snow. Spring is when it's not so frightfully hot, either, where every movement seems more uncomfortable and unwanted. Spring is when she doesn't mind the feel of grass beneath her feet, where she can watch butterflies fly past as she walks. And Spring is when there are flowers.

She sees them almost before she sees the well they surround. Beautiful blue flowers that must have just bloomed, as she hadn't seem them yesterday. It almost seems a shame to pick them, but she instantly knows she wants to. Éponine would love them, she knows. Éponine loves pretty things. And Cosette wants to give them to her. She takes more time than she probably should picking some, for Madame will only be gone so long. When she's gathered enough, she picks up her bucket and hurries back to the inn.

Cosette is not allowed upstairs without permission, or when she's specifically there to do her chores. But Monsieur is asleep on the floor and Madame is out shopping with Éponine, so Cosette should be safe. She wants to make this a surprise.

Quietly, barely risking the noise of breathing, she makes her way upstairs and into Éponine's room. 

Looking around the room, Cosette likely should feel jealous that Éponine has so much while she herself has so little, but to Cosette it's simply the way it is. Instead, she focuses on finding a ribbon on the dresser and uses it to tie up her handful of pretty flowers. Once she's fussed with the bow enough to make it perfect, she puts her gift on Éponine's pillow, then makes her way downstairs with a smile. 

She hopes they will make Éponine smile too.

~*~

Éponine is frozen, watching as Maman continues to yell at Cosette for breaking a vase. Éponine knows Cosette hadn't actually broken it, as she'd seen the cat knock it over when it jumped on the table. The same cat now tried to bury itself in Éponine's lap, as if it wanted to hide from Maman's yelling, which Éponine certainly didn't blame it for. After all, it's why Éponine doesn't correct Maman about Cosette's guilt – she didn't want to chance her anger being directed at her instead.

Cosette usually is smart enough to just accept Maman's yelling but, for some reason, she's chosen to talk back today. Éponine can't imagine why. But as she watches Cosette start to say it wasn't actually her fault, Maman draws back her hand as if to hit her.

Éponine screams.

Instantly, Maman flies to her side, forgetting about the other girl. Éponine pouts up at her, tears in her eyes. “The cat scratched me, Maman!” she complains, shoving the animal off her lap. The cat hisses, before wandering away from the sudden lack of sympathy. 

“My poor darling,” Maman cries. “Let me see what that nasty beast has done.” Éponine holds up her arm and, as her supposed injury is fussed over, she looks over Maman's shoulder, to where Cosette still stands, looking torn. Éponine rolls her eyes, before pointedly looking at the kitchen door, and the other girl smiles before escaping through it.

Later that night, Éponine sneaks under the table to join Cosette, sitting besides her as the other girl works on her knitting.

“Thank you,” Cosette whispers after a moment. “For earlier.”

Éponine shrugs, not really sure what to say. She hadn't actually thought about what she was doing, at the time. She just hadn't wanted to watch Cosette get hit.

After a few minutes, Éponine realizes that the other girl had stopped working and was now starring at her. As she looks over, she sees that Cosette is blushing, though Éponine can't think of why. She learns soon enough, though, for Cosette suddenly leans towards her. The kiss she's given is maybe meant for her cheek, or for her lips, but in either case it lands somewhere in between.

Éponine feels her own face heat up in return. But she can't stop herself from smiling.


End file.
